Blind
by Stootle
Summary: Hanabi hasn't seen her Cousin Neji in a while... [AU, angst, oneshot]


A/N: Augh. I have returned from the dead.I've been on for a long time, inactive. So, here's a newly written drabble. I only have crappy notepad, so if you find any typos/grammatical errors, please, please, _please _tell me.

--

Hanabi knew there was something wrong when her father closed the door after thanking the messenger. He had that Don't Worry, Everything Is Going To Be Okay look on his face as he told Hinata to go play in her room. But Hanabi knew that he knew that Everything was not going to be Okay. She didn't know why she was hiding from Daddy, but she did anyway. That is one thing that she liked to do. Hide from people. It made her feel Smart.

When Daddy passed by, not seeing her, even with his Byakugan eyes (he almost always caught her, and sometimes he gave her ideas for a better hiding technique) she swallowed a happy giggle, and snuck off to brag to Hinata about her accomplishment. Surely her Big Sister would be happy, too.

--

Hanabi finally found Hinata sitting in her room, making pictures out of threads again. She had been told what it was called, but Hanabi couldn't remember it. Only, this time, Hinata's hands were shaking and she was just making a Big Mess on the round circle of cloth and it did not look Very Pretty at all. Hanabi knew that her Big Sister was Upset because of all the people-reading training her Daddy tutored her in.

She asks her Big Sister, What's the matter? You're upset.

Hinata jumps and pricks herself on the finger, because she didn't know that Hanabi was there. Hinata ignores the small wound on her finger and turns to her Little Sister with a smile so fake and weak that Hanabi doesn't know why Hinata even tries.

Nothing, Hinata says, pushing that smile painfully wider, Nothing's wrong.

Hinata's telling a fib and Hanabi knows it and she thinks Hinata's knows that Hanabi knows.

--

Hanabi hasn't seen her Cousin Neji in the house lately. She has just realized that because she sat beside him at the dinner table. She noticed more when Neji wasn't there than when he was. Maybe he's finally made some Friends and is eating dinner at their house tonight. Hanabi wonders if he's eating a nice a meal as the one she's eating now.

Hinata hasn't touched her food, but just stares at it. Hanabi wonders if Hinata thinks the food will talk to her. This puts a small smile on Hanabi's face.

Daddy eats, but he isn't eating the way he usually does. It's a subtle change, but not subtle enough to escape Hanabis' eyes. He is almost eating the food unwillingly, so she asks, Daddy? Do you not like the food?

Daddy doesn't answer so she asks louder, Daddy? Does the food taste bad in your mouth?

Daddy must have been Daydreaming, because he jumps a little, much like Hinata did in her room, and turns to her, saying that the food was fine. Hanabi sees the same smile that Hinata had, too, except it was stronger and a bit more convincing. Hanabi would've fallen for it, if she had not been her Daddy's Little Girl.

Hanabi gets frustrated that her family seems to think they need to hide things from her and says, There's something wrong and I wanna know what it is! It's not fair that you're hiding things from me!

Her Daddy almost flinches and that surprises Hanabi. Hinata is crying and her own eyes respond with prickling feelings in their corners. Now Hanabi is positive that something is Very Wrong.

--

Her Cousin Neji hasn't been in the house lately not because he has been at a friend's, but because he is in a hospital.

Hanabi cannot really beleive the fact that it is Neji that is lying so still in the white sheets of the uncomfortable-looking hospital bed, with bandages covering his eyes. They say that there were bad Chemicals in the arrows that he was shot with while he was on his mission to rescue that Dark Haired Boy. The bad Chemicals had gotten into his blood and made his Byakugan eyes Blind.

Her Cousin Neji only sees black now, in the white sheets in the white room, in the white hospital. Hanabi cries for him because there are so many beautiful colours in the world and Neji can't see them only more, only the Black. Hanabi wonders if Neji was ever afraid of the dark, because that fear might come back now that the Dark was all he could see.

Hanabi doesn't understand why Neji has gone Blind. She understands the part about the bad Chemicals and being shot with those arrows, but she doesn't understand why it made Neji Blind, because Neji was Very Strong and Very Smart, and a few stupid Chemicals shouldn't be enough to take away the sight that her family cherished. She voices her confusion to Daddy, whose face gets even more wrinkly and he answers

Maybe because he wanted to be Blind.


End file.
